A Practical Medico-Historical Account of the Western Coast of Africa; Embracing a Topographical Description of Its Shores, Rivers, and Settlements, ... the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment, of the F - Tapa blanda

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1831. Excerpt: ... General Remarks. From all the cases which have been given, and although pains have been taken to avoid unnecessarily swelling the number, still a sufficiency have been inserted to afford the means of arriving at a just conclusion, it will appear that such of them as had local, in addition to common climatorial causes, were more insidious in their nature, and generally much more fatal in their results, under the same treatment, than were those of more simple origin, but with apparently more violent symptoms; and, also, that when blood-letting was adopted, and the blood afterwards examined, even in cases that had a favourable termination, the huffy appearance so characteristic of the existence of inflammation in the bilious remittent fevers of other tropical countries, was here wanting; the blood, in fact, had generally a natural appearance. From reflection upon these circumstances, then, added to the fact, that if the patients do not ordinarily bear the loss of blood to the same extent that they do, under apparently similar circumstances, in other countries, it must be evident that blood-letting, even on board of ship, and in the cases most favourable for such operation, must be practised with a cautious and sparing hand. Still the result of considerable experience upon the coast, directly and indirectly, is, that blood-letting, with the above precautions, in such cases as appear to have a perfectly simple origin, that is, such as are altogether independent of local exposure, is, when the symptoms indicate increased arterial action, the first measure for adoption; the effect produced regulating the quantity to be taken away. Increased vascular action being reduced, the next object is to cause a slightly increased flow of saliva, by means of mercury. The ordinary, and, indeed, the bet...